Television Documentary Research Articles

Between Classicism and Modernity: Éric Rohmer on Urban Change

A director at the crossroads of the arts, Eric Rohmer took a keen interest in the urban transformations France underwent in the course of the twentieth century, in particular the post-war villes nouvelles project launched by the Gaullist government in 1965. In a programmatic article on the relationship between cinema and architecture, followed by a series of television documentaries from the 1960s and 1970s, as well as two feature films — Les Nuits de la pleine lune (1984) and L’Ami de mon amie (1987) — the director interrogates the new types of urban living proposed by progressive architects and town planners. Focusing on the intersection between his theoretical writings, his little-known documentaries, and his fictional work, this article assesses Rohmer’s ambivalent attitude towards modern architecture in the wider context of the tension between classicism and modernity evidenced in his aesthetics and creative practice. As cautious of the functional modernism of a Le Corbusier as he is of postmodern housing schemes, the director offers a probing reflection on the relationship between the built environment and lived experience, framed by a broader questioning of cinema’s place among its more established sister arts.

Anti-Catalanism, Moral Panics and the Catalan Language: The Case of Ciudadanos de segunda

Increasingly fervent expressions of anti-Catalanism by Spanish institutions and individuals are one of the reasons behind the Catalans’ increasing support for independence. Negative categorisations of the Catalans partly revolve around the use of Catalan as the main medium of instruction in education, portrayed as an aggressive attempt to rid the region of the Spanish language. This specific form of anti-Catalanism is examined through the television documentary Ciudadanos de segunda, which constructs an unambiguous condemnation of Catalan language policies out of seemingly balanced interview material. The film is analysed in the light of theories of moral panic as applied to language issues by Sally Johnson (1999) and others. The analysis reveals that the documentary bears the hallmarks of an attempt to create a moral panic, which, although not fully successful, did contribute to an on-going campaign of sensitization waged by the right-wing Spanish media to promote negative images of Catalonia to other Spaniards.

Television documentary film in Hong Kong: the case of Hong Kong's two terrestrial television broadcasters

Hong Kong's two terrestrial broadcasters, Asia Television (ATV) and Television Broadcasts Ltd. (TVB), are uncharacteristic of other broadcasters in a number of respects, and this influences the documentary films that they produce. This unusual aspect is largely due to Hong Kong's almost unique situation as a Western non-democratic British colony in the East which went on under duress to become a component entity of an Eastern totalitarian communist State. Though this colonial and post-colonial totalitarian context rarely affected documentary film-makers at ATV and TVB in a blatant manner, and broadcasting staff within the organisations also resisted political encroachment when it arrived, that context nevertheless ensured that restrictions were placed upon the ability of the film-makers to produce critical, impactful films. This article will first explore how these two broadcasters can be associated with models of relations between the media and the state. The relationship to mainland China will then be referred to. Following this, an outline of the television documentary films of these broadcasters will be given, before a more in-depth account of particular films is provided. The article will conclude via reference to Habermas’ notion of the public sphere, and by offering proposals for change and improvement to this broadcasting output.

Making The war that changed us: Notes from the frontline of history, television and military remembrance

The war that changed us, produced by Electric Pictures, directed by Don Featherstone, and co-written by Don Featherstone and Clare Wright, aired on ABC1 in July 2014. This essay reflects on the role of the professional historian in the process of developing and writing a four-part television documentary series to commemorate the centenary of World War I. It explores the conflicts and collaborations required to bring to the small screen an enormous story with huge implications for current political debates about remembrance, patriotism and the function of the national broadcaster.

Spectacle and Suffering: The Mumbai slum as a worlded space

This paper examines the relationship between spectacle and worlding. Using Dharavi as the site (cite) of analysis, the paper considers how slum tours, art and television documentaries produce particular narratives and imaginaries of the slum. We move beyond the discussions of voyeurism and the aestheticisation of poverty and suggest that the knowledge of the slum is entangled with the motives, preconceptions and experiences of multiple actors, giving the slum a relation with the “world” that holds opportunities to disrupt hegemonic views of urbanism, while centering its own position as a locus of knowledge on urban poverty. The paper suggests that analysing the spectacle of the slum through the lens of worlding offers ways to think critically of how urban space is reordered and urban knowledge is produced and circulated.

Comic Medievalism: Laughing at the Middle Ages by Louise D’Arcens (review)

louise d'arcens, Comic Medievalism: Laughing at the Middle Ages. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2014. Pp. x, 209. isbn: 978-1-84384-380-1. $95.Not only did the Middle Ages have their own richly comic seam, but post-medieval studies of the period often treat it as a source of fresh humor. Louise D'Arcens' aim is to identify what is thought funny about the Middle Ages, and to show how this has influenced modern ideas about both the Middle Ages and modernity. The subject is vast, and D'Arcens has wisely decided to focus on only a few aspects; a comprehensive study would have had to include, for example, some evaluation of T.H. White's influential novel, The Sword in the Stone, and its later metamorphoses on stage and screen. That said, her historical range is wide-from Chaucer to now -and takes samples that include early modern chivalric satire, eighteenth century verse, Victorian burlesque, Marxist farce, medievalist cinema, contemporary comichistorical books, television documentaries and heritage tourism sites.The opening chapter ('The Cervantean Paradigm; Comedy, Madness, and Meta-Medievalism') aptly illustrates the ambivalence that informs Cervantes' use of medieval parody and farce, for, as Michael Scham argues, 'Cervantes delights in the very material he travesties' (37).A variant ambivalence is traced in chapter 2 ('Scraping the Rust from the Joking Bard: Chaucer in the Age of Wit'), which describes how the revivers of interest in Chaucer regarded him either as embodying a lost medieval comic outlook or as forming a link in a much longer, European post-Horatian tradition. In both cases the perceived shortcomings in his versification and endemic ribaldry were thought to require 'polishing' (67).Chapter 3 ('Medievalist Farce as Anti-Totalitarian Weapon: Dario Fo as Modern Giullare') provides a masterly examination of Fo's role as a modern Marxist activist who believes that he is reviving a traditional/medieval anarchic folk-humor which had the power to encourage social revolt. Yet, despite claims for his great influence in Italy, and on Pasolini's films in particular, Pasolini would dismiss Fo's work as 'bourgeois anti-bourgeois theatre' (84).Chapter 4 ('Pre-Modern Camp and Faerie Legshows: Travestying the Middle Ages on the Nineteenth-Century Stage') then reveals that the desire to present authentically costumed historical drama, especially Shakespearean, led to a fascination with medieval topics. Though these were often grossly burlesqued, the audience probably felt an affectionate complicity with the presentation, and laughed with it rather than at it. …

Celebrity on the front line: Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (Sky Television, 2008)

Of the various television documentaries dealing with British military operations in Helmand Province, among the most successful have been those fronted by TV actor Ross Kemp. This article examines the development, airing and reception of the first of these, Ross Kemp in Afghanistan. The aims of the filmmakers and the needs of the Ministry of Defence and British Army are examined, along with Kemp’s time as an embedded reporter with 1 Royal Anglians in 2007, and the responses of critics, soldiers and the viewing public to resulting the series, in an effort to discern why it worked for all concerned.

Multiple adaptation processes: The case of Alexander Ahndoril’s The Director and its predecessors in feature film, television documentary and popular print media

Abstract It is well known that the novel by Alexander Ahndoril, Regissören/The Director (2006/2008), partially adapts Ingmar Bergman’s film Nattvardsgästerna/The Communicants (1963). It is less well known that the novel also adapts a television documentary about the shoot of The Communicants made in 1962 for Swedish public television by Vilgot Sjöman. In Ahndoril’s novel, then, the transfer moves from Bergman’s film and Sjöman’s documentary to the novel, in contrast to conventional adaptation practice, which moves in the opposite direction. Furthermore, besides moving images, other media have been adapted in Ahndoril’s novel, for example, feature stories in Swedish women’s magazines on Bergman and then-wife Käbi Laretei’s domestic life. Finally, Bergman’s journals have also been adapted, not from the original source text, however, but as represented in academic publications. In sum, Ahndoril’s novel is the result of a multiple adaptation process, involving not only moving images in the form of an art-film feature and a television documentary, but also still photography, popular print media and an academic publication. As such the novel also points towards a broader cultural adaptation process.

Koreanizing Marriage Migrant Women: A Critical Review of Damunhwa Gobuyeoljeon

During the first decade of the 21st century, the increase of interethnic marriages between Korean men and Southeast Asian women was a sensational phenomenon in Korea, where there was a strong sentiment of ethnic nationalism. Instantly, these so-called “multicultural families” — damunhwa gajok in Korean — have represented the multiculturalism of Korea, and they received nationwide attention. Recently, the pre-existing images of marriage migrant women have changed into more complex images on television. The documentary series on Korea’s Education Broadcasting System (EBS), titled Damunhwa Gobuyeoljeon, illustrate those shifting images. The paper critically examines this television documentary series following the principal concepts of discursive psychology. As a result, the program’s demographic features show that the program has reinforced the representation of multicultural families in terms of gender, class, and ethnicity. Shifting representations of marriage migrant women in each episode reflect the ways in which the show creates, negotiates, and represents an idealistic standard of the foreign daughter-in-law. The paper argues that hyo (filial piety) ideology has predominantly influenced the ways that the program interprets participants’ characteristics and behaviors throughout the episodes.

The girl least likely – A linguistically informed media case review

The author, a psychiatrist, sets out to review a television documentary about youth suicide with a linguistic sensitivity. Three main themes were identified. Firstly the documentary uses much linguistic resources to present depression as a potentially fatal medical disease. Secondly psychosocial factors such as the carer role and society’s performance driven attitude were undermined. Thirdly the issues of shame and interpersonal distancing (referred to as the sense of alienation) are discussed and linked to the biogenetic view of mental illness. The author concludes by advocating the need to foster mentalization and dialogues in mental health promotion which are inherently embedded in the language used.

Framing scandalous nursing home care: what is the problem?

ABSTRACTThe aim of this article is to investigate different ways in which nursing home scandals in Sweden have been framed, to discuss the relations between these existing frameworks, and to identify ways of describing the problem that are absent in the current debates. Data for the study consisted of media articles, television documentaries and internet debates, expert reports and court hearings, and interviews with representatives of organisations dealing with the issue of mistreatment in care services for older people. An analytical tool developed within social movement research was used to identify three ‘debates’ on such mistreatment in Sweden, where competing ways of framing the problem have been used: (a) a debate where staff are cast as either perpetrators or victims, (b) a debate on privatisation and profit as the motive for neglect of care recipients, and (c) a debate on deserving and non-deserving recipients of socially provided care centred around populist claims. The analysis highlights a need to introduce an alternative frame for interpretation where mistreatment in care for older people is regarded as involving scandalous cases of ageism. This anti-ageism frame would provide older people with a lead role in the drama – not just as victims but as stakeholders in relation to the problem.

The level of knowledge of prospective biology teachers on gene technology and their source of information

The Gene Technology includes an area of various implementations (health, agriculture etc.) on which we shall have knowledge and which will be our guide in our actions. This is of particular importance notably when it is evaluated in terms of the instructors providing education on these issues to the public. Knowledge and literacy on gene technology is acquired through educational institutions and various sources of information. The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of prospective biology teachers on gene technology, and to investigate the sources of knowledge on the related subject. 135 prospective biology teachers participated in this study. Descriptive analyses were carried out for the items, the frequencies were interpreted and cross tabulation analyses were used. The results of this study demonstrate that the prospective biology teachers possess predominantly a low-level knowledge on gene technology (69.6%) and mostly feel that their knowledge on gene technology is scanty, regardless of whether they have taken courses on the subject or not. The top sources of the prospective teachers (over 60% as frequency) are television documentaries on gene technology, and journals, biology/chemistry teachers and experts from universities on the related area.

The Performativity of Food Documentary Television- Focusing on the Korean Table -

The Performativity of Food Documentary Television- Focusing on the Korean Table -

Television documentary, history and memory.

Television documentary, history and memory.

Archaeology and the Moving Image

Archaeological filmmaking is a relatively under-examined subject in academic literature. As the technology for creating, editing, and distributing video becomes increasingly available, it is important to understand the broader context of archaeological filmmaking; from television documentaries to footage shot as an additional method of recording to the informal ‘home videos’ in archaeology. The history of filmmaking in archaeology follows innovations within archaeological practice as well as the availability and affordability of technology. While there have been extensive analyses of movies and television shows about archaeological subjects, the topic of archaeological film has been characterized by reactions to these outside perspectives, rather than examinations of footage created by archaeologists. This can be understood to fall within several filmic genres, including expository, direct testimonial, impressionistic, and phenomenological films, each with their own purpose and expressive qualities. Footage taken on site can also be perceived as a form of surveillance, and can modify behaviour as a form of panopticon. Consequently, there are considerations regarding audience, distribution, and methods for evaluation, as these films are increasingly available on social media platforms. This paper explores the broad context for archaeological filmmaking and considers potential futures for the moving image in archaeology.

Television documentary, history and memory. An analysis of Sergio Zavoli's The Gardens of Abel

This article examines a celebrated documentary made for Italian state TV in 1968 and transmitted in 1969 to an audience of millions. The programme – The Gardens of Abel – looked at changes introduced by the radical psychiatrist Franco Basaglia in an asylum in the north-east of Italy (Gorizia). The article examines the content of this programme for the first time, questions some of the claims that have been made for it, and outlines the sources used by the director, Sergio Zavoli. The article argues that the film was as much an expression of Zavoli's vision and ideas as it was linked to those of Franco Basaglia himself. Finally, the article highlights the way that this programme has become part of historical discourse and popular memory.

Coerced Internalized False Confessions and Police Interrogations: The Power of Coercion

This paper examines false confessions, and in particular the misunderstood typology of “coerced internalized” false confessions. These confessions are made by individuals who falsely confess, but truly believe in their guilt despite objective evidence to the contrary. The paper will begin with an examination of false confessions and police interrogation in general, and then will focus on coerced internalized confessions in particular. Various case examples will be examined in brief, but the case example of Billy Wayne Cope will be discussed at length including the reported South Carolina Court of Appeal case, the transcripts of experts and the accused from trial, as well as an discussion of the extensive television documentary highlighting the possibility that Cope was wrongfully convicted. By looking at the specific words and reasoning of Billy Wayne Cope, this paper attempts to examine the impact of one of the most unique and misunderstood forms of false confessions, and to suggest what needs to be done differently in the future to prevent further miscarriages of justice.

COMING TO TERMS WITH TERRORISM. SERGIO CORBUCCI’S DONNE ARMATE AND THE TRAUMA OF THE ANNI DI PIOMBO

Since Italy’s transition to the Second Republic in the early 1990s, a period marked by attempts to come to terms with the traumatic experience of the violent 1970s, cinema and television have increasingly been (ab)used for the rewriting of national history, often within a revisionist framework, and for the promotion of new discourses of reconciliation. The miniseries Donne armate (Sergio Corbucci, 1991) is one such attempt to work through the trauma of political violence by rehumanizing — in the words of Giancarlo Lombardi (2009) — the demonized figure of the terrorist. Produced in the same period as Sergio Zavoli’s television documentary La notte della repubblica, where former terrorists from both sides of the ideological spectrum are offered the chance to publicly express their personal reflections and regrets, Donne armate also promotes a discourse of reconciliation by bringing together two women belonging to different sides of the law: a terrorist and a policewoman. This reconciliation with Italy’s violent past is reinforced by the casting of Lina Sastri in the role of the terrorist, calling back memories of Giuseppe Bertolucci’s Segreti segreti (1984), where Sastri interpreted a ruthless terrorist killer who is eventually defeated by the law. Drawing, among other things, on theories of cultural memory and trauma, this article discusses — through an analysis of both Donne armate and a number of television programmes on terrorism broadcast in the early 1990s — the political potentialities and limits of television in processes of healing and national reconciliation.

Television narratives of the Italian migrant worker: Disaster stories of sacrifice and redemption

Abstract In the 2000s RAI television drama makes a temporal turn that coincides with Second Republic’s revisionism of the divided memory of crucial episodes in post-Unification Italian history. This article examines two historical mini-series on Italian migration in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Il Grande Torino/The Great Torino (2005) and Marcinelle/Inferno Below (2003). In both narratives the microhistory of migration lived and performed by ordinary people is coupled with the macrohistory of disaster: respectively the 1949 Superga airplane crash, which brought an end to the Grande Torino football team, and the Marcinelle coalmine fire of 8 August 1956, which killed 136 Italian workers. These historical narratives work within transmedial constellations of cultural memory and interact with institutionalized collective memory. In both cases the model image of the Italian migrant worker as a redemptive figure of Italy’s post-war regeneration in television documentaries of the 1950s and 1960s is replaced by a contemporary ambivalent representation of the paradoxes of migration, and redemption is activated instead by the story of disaster and as a specific quality of Italian character. Both episodes can be seen as a homage to the sacrifice of labour of the Italian worker with the difference that the main character of Il Grande Torino/The Great Torino sacrifices his individual migrant story to the memory of the Superga disaster, while Marcinelle’s hero becomes the redemptive figure of the Italian migrant worker thanks to the exceptional circumstances created by the mine catastrophe.

Challenges to improving combat casualty survival on the battlefield.

Abstract : The United States has achieved unprecedented survival rates (as high as 98 percent) for casualties arriving alive to a combat hospital. 1 Official briefings, informal communications, and even television documentaries such as CNN Presents Combat Hospital highlight the remarkable surgical care taking place overseas. Military physicians, medics, corpsmen, and other providers of battlefield medical care are rightly proud of this achievement. Commanders and their troops can be confident that once a wounded Service - member reaches the combat hospital, his or her care will be the best in the world. Combat casualty care, however, does not begin at the hospital. It begins in the field at the point of injury and continues through evacuation to the combat hospital or forward surgery. This prehospital phase of care is the first link in the chain of survival for those injured in combat and represents the next frontier for making significant improvements in battlefield trauma care. Even with superb in-hospital care, recent evidence suggests that up to 25 percent of deaths on the battlefield are potentially preventable. The vast majority of these deaths happen in the prehospital setting. The indisputable conclusion is that any meaningful future improvement in combat casualty outcomes depends on closing the gap in prehospital survival. Improving pre - hospital combat casualty care, however, may be significantly more challenging than improving hospital-based casualty care because of significant structural challenges facing the military medical establishment. I describe five key challenges and a plan to overcome them.